College Baskletball Plus. BIG TEN REPORT.

Glitches Right On Schedule

Last week's game between Michigan and Michigan State was particularly strange, and not because of anything that happened on the court. The game did not count toward conference standings, a new quirk that could occur more in coming seasons if the Big Ten sticks with current policies.

As part of the conference's round-robin--in which each school plays eight opponents twice and two foes once--this happened to be the year Michigan and Michigan State were scheduled to meet once. To maintain the rivalry and sell tickets, however, officials decided to stage the game as a non-conference contest.

With the Big Ten switching from an 18-game schedule to a 16-game schedule and postseason tournament in 1998, that glitch will occur more often. Each team will drop four opponents one time each season.

And, unlike football, the conference does not protect any rivalries in basketball--meaning Michigan drops Michigan State as often as it drops Penn State.

Other natural rivals, then, may find themselves scheduling such games. Purdue and Indiana might want to play twice every year, along with Northwestern and Illinois.

Boilermakers coach Gene Keady doesn't like the idea. It would be a tougher non-conference game, which may hurt a team's NCAA chances.

"It's kind of a wasted game," he added. "A league game should mean something."

Iowa's Tom Davis was more receptive, noting that fans want to see those games.

Hester on hold: It's becoming clear that the six-week timeline on Illinois senior Jerry Hester's recovery from back surgery was optimistic. Eight weeks appears more realistic, but by then almost two-thirds of the Big Ten season will be gone. After six weeks, Hester is shooting and running on his own, but he isn't ready for physical contact.

He'll decide soon whether to take a redshirt year. Davis said injured Hawkeyes forward Jess Settles likewise is close to a redshirt decision.